Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Several EU states are pushing for new EU-wide data retention

Several EU states are pushing for new EU-wide data retention

The return of a legal requirement on data retention remains a controversial issue in the EU. The British civil rights organization Statewatch has now published the positions of seven member states, including Germany. The majority of them are therefore for a new legal obligation in the entire community for telecommunication companies, connection and location data to log again comprehensively and only more or less specifically.
In addition to Germany, the Strong neighbors Luxembourg and the Netherlands as well as Sweden and Hungary. It was already known that the old federal government is advocating increased data retention. She wants, for example, that “over-the-top” providers such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Signal and Threema will also be covered by the “general and indiscriminate” storage requirements. It is also necessary “not only to save the IP address, but also the time stamp and, where relevant, the assigned port number”.

Limiting data retention to a specific geographic area would be “not particularly useful in view of the mobility of suspects,” writes the federal government in their recently published submission to the EU Commission. From a legal point of view, the question also arises how a targeted logging of user traces could be carried out “without discriminating against certain groups of people”. In addition, this approach would be “hardly technically feasible”.

In this respect, the local executive attaches particular importance to the imminent decision of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on the existing but de facto suspended law on data retention. The data categories concerned and the duration of their retention are already limited therein.
Possible violation of European fundamental rights

The European Court of Justice Advocate General Manuel Campos Sánchez-Bordona nevertheless assumes that the German requirement violates fundamental European rights. The future traffic light coalition wants to make the rules for data retention “legally secure” and based on the occasion, which is likely to result in the “quick freeze” rejected by the previous government.

In its response to the survey launched by the Commission in June, Hungary also supports a general and indiscriminate storage of traffic data among the member states. The EU is only allowed to issue very general regulations here, since internal security is a matter for the nation states. The government in Budapest does not consider a targeted approach to be effective; the “freezing” of telephone and Internet data is at best an “additional instrument”. A data retention of only IP addresses is insufficient.

The Netherlands are in favor of an EU solution, also in the form of a law. They are of the opinion that a targeted measure limited to IP addresses would encounter major technical hurdles and may not be feasible at all. The government in The Hague also welcomes the provision of participant information such as inventory data, but considers this alone to be insufficient.

Sweden and Denmark made similar statements, with the latter criticizing the case law of the European Court of Justice as an obstacle to effective law enforcement and the work of the secret services. Luxembourg did not comment on specific approaches, but for EU legislation is in line with the line of the ECJ judges based in the same country.

Finland was the only one of the seven states to emphasize that there should be no general and indiscriminate data retention. The principle of strict necessity should be observed, and suitable protective measures should be provided. Thirteen other EU countries such as Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain also answered the Commission’s questions. However, they refused to release the relevant documents in response to Statewatch’s request for freedom of information. They justify the secrecy with the protection of public security.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Grok 4 Video plus Voice, can identify wildlife!
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
The UK Does Not Have a ‘Far-Right’ Problem
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
JD Vance Warns Europe Faces “Civilizational Suicide” Over Open Borders and Speech Limits
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
×